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About this project

You
have already seen our first map, "Desert Reveal".
Many years ago an alien vessel came to extract the iron in the planet's soil and found the
planet to also be rich with curium. Unfortunately they died, and their
ship was buried after many sandstorms. A group of Helius explorers
discovered this resource-rich area and started to excavate it for
themselves. Unfortunately, this great source of curium attracted other
beings hungry for power. Below is an early painting done for the game
which inspired the idea behind the map.

Our
newest map takes place on an abandoned (but still functional) orbiting
mining station, called Nova. This device extracts curium from the planet
below, which is too hostile for any being or robot to land on.

We're Almost Done!

Void Rim is more than just an ambitious idea, we've been hard at work full time for almost a year now and have a lot to show for it. The game is coming together and we're getting close to launching our beta. All three factions are fully modeled, textured, and animated, we have two big beautiful maps to play on (with more in the pipeline), characters can move around and kill each other, and best of all, the multiplayer component is being developed as a tier one feature in tandem with the rest of the game so it’s not just an afterthought.

We need to do a little more balance, lots of polish work and bug squashing, then we can set everyone loose on the beta. Soon after that we hope to launch the game. Between now and then, we promise to treat your pledge with the respect it deserves by finishing the game as quickly as possible and keeping you up to date with new information and new screenshots weekly until the game’s launch.

Customization through units and loadouts.

Highly strategic, turn-based play.

Built on the state of the art Unreal engine.

Multiplayer is a tier one feature.

Beautifully rendered characters, maps, and effects.

Thousands of character combinations to explore.

Filling the Void

Void Rim is an online, free to play, turn based strategy game set in a science-fantasy universe. Players engage in head to head battles for resources and map control using customizable characters of their choosing. During a game players can also research upgrades, deploy structures and issue special commands to try and sway the battle in their favor.

Void Rim is a “true” free to play game. All players will have access to free, competitive loadouts for as long as they want without restriction. Players who like the game and want a deeper experience with more strategic options can acquire “packs” from the game’s store using real cash or an in-game currency earned by simply playing the game! Everything is available with both currencies, so you’ll never be forced to pay for something if you don’t want to. Players who choose to pay will never gain an unfair advantage.

Another unique feature of Void Rim is the limited downtime in any battle. While some other turn-based strategy games will force you to wait around while other players take their turn, Void Rim features phases. In the combat phase, a player may move units around and attack, cast powers, and ultimately win the game. When not in combat, the player is in the planning phase and may inspect their army, unlock tech, and develop unique strategies.

Customization

Customization is a key feature of Void Rim. Players create their own armies called “loadouts”, which depending on player level, can have up to 32 slots. Every slot can contain a single character, command, research, or structure, otherwise known as “tech.”

Characters are units such as the Guardians, Engineers, or Brutes that can move around the map, be attacked, or attack with.

Commands are generally short lived “spells” such as Thermal Wave that can have instant, dramatic effects on the battlefield.

Research are stackable global “upgrades” that last for the rest of a game. An example would be a research that allows your characters to deal more damage or have increased health.

Structures are immobile units such as Sentry Guns or Teleporters that provide the player with some type of benefit, be it simple utility or a strong defense.

Characters may be customized by equipping up to three powers and two weapons. A power is an ability that performs some utility during a game, such as flight, invisibility, damage bonuses, resistances and so on. A weapon might be something like Sniper Rifle or Brutal Claw and comes with abilities of their own that let you specialize the attacks in different ways.

The Factions

The Helius Legionnaires are a civilization of warmongering clones that fight alongside allied alien races for resources in order to power their machines and weapons. The weak respect the strong in the warrior sect while the intellectual sect operates independently with its intricate religious doctrines. They worship the sun and often bear sun-like standards in battle.

The Helius are the only faction in the game that has a human looking race. These clones include the nimble Velic, the intelligent Centi, and hearty Durus. Migrant alien lifeforms, the small satyr like creatures called Rasker and massive minotaurs called the Cretians, have also joined the faction in its warmongering.

The Helius have the best mobility of the factions. A lot of their powers allow them to hover across the map or leap. They also have good defenses with sentry guns and other structures.

The Dronos are the culmination of robots that fought for many centuries in human wars so that precious organic life could be spared. Some believe this became the demise of man as the robots became too efficient and numerous to control. They need resources to power themselves and replicate, and they fight to acquire it.

While the Dronos are robots, they all have their own distinct flavor and personality. The fast Bit, the somewhat feminine Lilo, the efficient soldier Vector, the powerful Heap, and the destructive Kobol.

The Dronos are versatile and can grow in number very fast. They are generally cheap to deploy and have relatively low health but high armor. They specifically dual wield with one melee and one ranged weapon. Some units can be rigged to explode when they die, others can construct smaller units from the bodies of their fallen comrades.

The Gavatri are an advanced, mysterious alien race. Their science has allowed them to drive great power from the resources at their disposal. Their hunger for this power led to a parasitic need for more. However something unexpected and irreversible happened: the resources began to mutate their once humanoid bodies into more powerful, but monstrous forms.

The Canth and Sama are the original humanoid forms the Gavatri take. The Garud and Nak are what they now call the “ascended”, which is what happens when the body is exposed to a toxic amount of resources. The Kymira are spiritual beasts that have manifested from the overuse of resources.

All Gavatri equip sigils in their offhand. These have stat bonuses and abilities all their own. The units also have access to abilities like life stealing, stat absorption, and healing. They aren’t very numerous nor do they have the strongest structures but they make up for it by having units that can become very powerful over time.

Four People: Desert Owl Games

The
four of us--two programmers and two artists--came together last year
and decided to make a high quality, online science-fantasy strategy game
with first class multiplayer and customization features. Last October
we officially filed the paperwork, registered the domains, and made
Desert Owl Games LLC a reality! We have all been living off our savings
to work on Void Rim full time ever since.

This is not just our
job, this is our dream and our passion. The four of us are experienced
game developers that share a vision for Void Rim. We know making games
takes hard work and sacrifice.

We Need You!

We’ll be using any funds raised through
Kickstarter to assist with the final financial push to finish the game.
That is, money for everything from marketing that helps attract new
players and general business needs to purchasing bandwidth and the
provisioning of equipment for the hosted game servers. Additionally,
since we’ve 100% self-funded this adventure so far, the money will also
help with more mundane, everyday things like groceries, gas, and dog
food. This will help us continue to devote 100% of our time to the game
so that we can get it to you as soon as possible.

Our goal as a
company is to not only build a really terrific game, but to do it
alongside an engaged, thriving community interested in influencing the
game’s future direction. We’ll actively seek feedback from the community
on topics like game balance, popular combos, and upcoming features, and
not just during the beta period. After the game’s launch, we’ll
continue to embrace this same attitude while we constantly expand and
improve the game by releasing free updates, big expansions, and
developing exciting new features such as tournaments, and single-player
campaigns (think boss battles).

All of this and much more will keep the game fresh, interesting, creative, and most important of all, fun!

The Pledge Rewards

The Poster

The poster below will be sent to anyone who pledges $50 or more. This is a limited edition poster, exclusive to the Kickstarter campaign, and will never be printed again! The colorful design features three of our female characters, the faction icons, all set on a spectacular space background that measures 19” x 25” and will look great on any wall!

The Void Rim Backer T-shirt

The Void Rim Backer t-shirt is another reward that’s exclusive to Kickstarter pledges. Anyone who pledges more than $100 will receive one of these in the size of their choosing. The front of the shirt contains the Void Rim logo with text indicating your status as one of our favorite people in the whole world! The back features all of our faction icons (including a mysterious, unannounced fourth faction) and the Desert Owl Games logo up top.

The Limited Edition Print

Anyone pledging more than $250 will receive a limited edition, high quality print of a painting Desert Owl Games will commission with a professional artist of our choosing. While the specific painting isn’t yet completed, you can see the general direction we’re shooting for below. The print will come matted and will measure at 11” x 14”.

Trailer Bonus!

Thank You!

We'd like to thank you taking the time to consider pledging money to Void Rim! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, we would LOVE to hear from you. Your support is really important to us and we are eager to talk to other people about our game! You can send us a message here on Kickstarter, Twitter, Facebook, and on our website.

FAQ

As our resources are limited with such a small team, Void Rim will initially be for Windows only. If, however, we receive feedback indicating a strong desire for Mac and/or Linux support, we'll do our absolute best to make it happen within a reasonable time frame.

Yes! While it may not make launch, PvE is a top priority for Void Rim. Not only will players be able to enjoy a rich story through challenging campaigns and elaborate boss fights, they'll be able to it with their friends cooperatively!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $10 or more
About $10

Along with the above, you'll also get $10 worth of in-game currency and three faction quad packs, each containing a pre-configured assortment of playable game tech. This is everything you'll need to hit the ground running in one convenient package! You will also get a listing in the game's credits as a bronze level sponsor.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

Have your name worked into the game's lore! You will become a scientist that designs one of the advanced in-game weapons! You'll also be sent an amazing, limited edition Void Rim poster (measures 18" x 25") that will look great on any wall! Finally, you'll be listed in the game's credits as a gold level of sponsor, the highest available! Includes all previous rewards.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

You will get all the cool stuff from above along with a limited edition Void Rim t-shirt. We won't make any more of these after they're gone! You will also get the chance to name one of the game's powerful commands! (Please add $10 for shipping outside the US and Canada.)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

You will get a stunning, limited edition print of artwork inspired by the game! It will come matted, ready to be framed, and measures 11" x 14". Only 50 of these will ever be made! Includes all previous rewards.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $375 or more
About $375

This reward is an amazing deal, unlikely to ever be repeated, that gives you every piece of Void Rim tech for the life of the game! This includes every character, command, research, structure, power, and weapon from launch and from every future expansion for years to come! Includes all previous rewards.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,000 or more
About $2,000

You will get the unique opportunity to help the Void Rim team create a hero! These are powerful faction leader units with a unique set of weapons and powers. The creation process includes interacting with the Void Rim team via Skype conference calls and e-mail (your choice) and providing input on the naming, design, and back story for the unit. All previous rewards also included.